After our discussion in lecture on Tuesday about why people in the 90s felt like they shouldn't have to travel anywhere because they can just go via a virtual world, I decided to test the theory. I typed into the search bar "Greece," because that is one place I've always wanted to go to but have never been. Will the virtual Greece satisfy my longing to go to the country? Firstly, sitting at my computer, I could only SEE the ocean. I could not feel the sun, or swim in the ocean. Secondly, why would I want to not go to Greece and have myself a gyro? Second Life does not provide food to accompany the experience of traveling to another country. Second Life does capture the "essence" of Greece: the water, blue and white domed houses, the columned landmarks. But, it did NOT serve as a legitimate substitute for a vacation to Greece.
I totally agree. I thought the need for eliminating physical, global space was ridiculous. Going somewhere and experiencing it virtually are not at all the same. And while telephones, skype and instant messaging have all made communicating a lot easier, these aren't substitutes for real person-to-person interaction.
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